The Dang's: DC Day 3: Mount Vernon & WWII Monument

Saturday was our Mount Vernon day, so we got up early and left our room by 8. We took the metro, switched lines, and then took a bus from Alexandria to Mount Vernon. Rail service was delayed because they were only had one track open for both directions to use. I made sure to use the helpful Metro planner site to get everything timed well so we wouldn't be sitting around forever. The entire journey took a little over an hour, which was much quicker than it could have been. We got to Mount Vernon at 9:20 and took a quick look at the Visitor's Center before moving on to the grounds.

Mount Vernon was George Washington's plantation situated on the Potomac in Virginia. He constructed the mansion (small in modern standards) in stages from 1757-1778. Our first view of the house was from the end of the long lawn.

photo by Adam

photo by Dad

We then walked along the side and through the Upper Garden,

and then peeked in the buildings like the Slave Quarters and Blacksmith Shop.

I was in love with all the magnolia trees. They are so pretty!

And the holly was neat too!

Next, we waited in a short line to walk through the Mansion. No photography was allowed in the house itself as I'm sure it would interrupt the flow of people. It was pretty crowded in there, especially since the rooms were small.

Upon exiting, we went through the kitchen.

And then it started raining. We took shelter on the back porch and admired the view of the Potomac.

photo by mom

photo from mom

When the rain let up, we wandered down to the Old Tomb. This was the old family tomb where Washington was laid to rest while construction of his new tomb took place. Then we were on to Washington's Tomb, where George and Martha Washington were laid to rest along with other family members.

Our last stops were at the Slave Memorial, followed by a quick peek at the Lower Gardens,

and a few last photos in front of the mansion.

photo by mom

Back towards the front entrance, we spent some time looking at the Donald W. Reynolds museum which contained many artifacts and information about Washington and Mount Vernon. Around noon, we grabbed a quick lunch at the Food Court which was swamped with school children. We got done just in time to catch the bus at 12:30. The bus was running late, so we just barely made the train back into the city. We were lucky! This time we took the train to L'Enfant Plaza so we didn't have to switch lines at all. We then walked to the WWII Memorial.

The walk was a little over a mile and took about half an hour. You would think that I was torturing everyone with how much they complained about it! In their defense, it was pretty hot out.